CNN Radio News Day is an evening news program providing an informative, thoughtful and creative look at the day's events. It's posted Monday through Friday at 4:30 pm ET.

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(CNN) – Welcome to CNN Radio News Day.

What does it take to get a deal in today's Congress? The fiscal cliff talks over the past few days reflect a place in crisis negotiations. Retiring Republican Senator Olympia Snow was quite blunt yesterday. She talked to reporters just after one deal had fallen apart.

"Even I would have a hard time thinking it would get this bad at this juncture. Just when you think it can’t get worse it does, right? More than anything else it suggests a detachment of the real world – from the reality of the average person and what they face on a daily basis."

As of this posting the U.S. House has yet to act on a Senate bill. As it stands it would put off budget cuts for two months and preserve Bush-era income tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 or couples earning less than $450,000.

Nearly a million Americans are getting a raise today. That's because the minimum wage is going up in ten states. The biggest increase, according to the national employment law project, will be in Rhode Island where the minimum wage is now $7.75 an hour. Pay boosts aren't the only new laws being rolled out today. Close to 400 new state laws went into effect at midnight ranging from legalizing same sex marriage in some states to banning employers' use of Facebook data in Illinois.

"This is to protect people from being discriminated against on something based on a Facebook page," says attorney Lori Andrews.

The 124th tournament of rose’s parade was held in Pasadena, California today. Also known as the Rose Bowl parade the New Year’s tradition hasn't lost any of its charm, interest and luster in spite of its age. 81-years-old Richard Kearnan has been to the parade for the past 69 years.

"I wouldn't know what else to do New Years Day. Once it's in your life it never gets out."